Surface treating apparatus



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United States Patent 3,482,273 SURFACE TREATING APPARATUS William 13. Price, 1700 E. Washington St., Bloomington, Ill. 61701 Filed Nov. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 683,863 Int. Cl. A471 11/08 US. Cl. 1549 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for treating a surface such as a floor by bringing into engagement therewith the endless periphery of a treating element having bristles moving about a curved path at a sufficiently rapid speed that material on the surface is removed by the bristles and thrown by centrifugal force therefrom. A moving transfer member engageable with the periphery of the treating element cooperates with the element to transfer material from the periphery of the element to a collection means where it is received.

This invention relates generally to apparatus for treating a surface such as a floor by removing foreign matter therefrom and, if desired, also polishing the surface. More particularly, the invention relates to surface treating apparatus of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 3,344,453, issued Oct. 3, 1967, in which a surface treating element with an endless periphery engages the surface and is advanced at a peripheral speed sufiicient to remove liquid and other material from the surface and throw the same from the periphery by centrifugal force, the material being thrown toward and collected at a receiving means.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved surface treating apparatus which, as compared with similar prior apparatus, operates more efliciently to achieve a more thorough and substantially complete removal of liquid and other material from the surface.

Another object is to transfer liquid and other material from the surface being treated to the receiving means in a novel and eflicient manner while continuously cleaning the transfer apparatus.

A more detailed object is to achieve the foregoing object by the provision of the rapidly moving surface treating element in combination with a moving splash shield which receives material thrown by the element and cooperates with the element to transfer the material to the receiving means while achieving a cleaning action of both the element and the shield.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of surface treating apparatus embodying the novel features of the present invention, portions of the cover and collector pad being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the apparatus with the cover and collector pad removed;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the collector pad in a flattened condition; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view of the brush, roller and collector pad similar to FIG. 3.

3,482,273 Patented Dec. 9, 1969 Although suitable for treating many types of surfaces, the invention is shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration embodied in apparatus for treating an upwardly facing generally flat surface such as a floor 10. The apparatus is of the general type disclosed in my Patent No. 3,344,453, issued Oct. 3, 1967, with a surface treating element 11 mounted on a supporting frame 12 and having an endless periphery with bristles 13 thereon engaging the surface along a line to remove liquid and foreign material from the surface as the element advances. A motor 14 on the frame drives the element at a sufficiently high peripheral speed that the material thereon is thrown from the element by centrifugal force. A collector means 15 spaced from the periphery of the element on the side of the element opposite the surface receives the material thrown from the element.

In accordance with the present invention, novel means is provided for cooperation with the surface treating element 11 to transfer substantially all of the liquid and foreign material from the floor 10 to the collector means 15 and thereby leave the floor clean and dry while avoiding accumulation of the material on any other parts of the apparatus. Such novel means is a transfer member or moving splash shield 17 with an endless periphery which receives the material removed from the surface and thrown from the treating element and transfers the material back to a position on the element spaced from the line of engagement of the element with the floor. From this position, the material is thrown toward the collection means. The periphery of the transfer member is a wipable surface and is engaged by the treating element bristles 13 which, while removing the material from the transfer member and throwing it toward the collection means, also clean the periphery of the transfer member by wiping the same.

When the bristles 13 of the treating element 11 strike the surface of the transfer member 17, their tips intermingle and rub against each other to effect a cleaning of the tips as well as wiping of the transfer member periphery. To aid in cleaning the tips of the element bristles, other bristles 18 project from the periphery of the member to engage the tips. Such cleaning of the bristles of the element and cleaning of the periphery of the transfer member are enhanced by advancing the latter at a different peripheral speed than the surface treating element. This may be accomplished by mounting the transfer member onthe frame 12 to move freely so that it derives its driving force through frictional engagement of its periphery with the periphery of the treating element. While satisfactory operation may be achieved without the transfer member engaging the surface 10 being treated, it preferably does engage the surface to increase the speed differential between the peripheries of the treating element and the transfer member as well as limit the movement of the element toward the surface and thus the amount of bite of the bristles 13 on the element, that is, the lengths of the portions of the bristles engaging the surface. Also, some cleaning of the surface occurs from engagement with the bristles of the transfer member.

The frame 12 in this instance is a housing of generally rectangular shape open at the top and bottom with parallel front and back walls 19 and 20 and parallel side walls 21 and 22 formed as a single casting. As in my prior patented construction, the surface treating element 11 preferably is of cylindrical shape and is mounted on the frame 12 to rotate about an axis paralleling the surface 10 being treated while the bristles 13 on the periphery of the element are engaging the surface. While the treating element may take various forms, satisfactory results including long life have been achieved using a twisted wire brush with individual strands of cattle-tail or horsehair secured between a pair of wires 23 twisted to form helices with the ends of the strands extending helically around the twisted wire core to form the bristles on the periphery of the element. The motor 14 is mounted between the rear Wall and an intermediate vertical wall 24 with the motor shaft paralleling the axis of the brush.

The brush 11 is mounted on the side walls 21 and 22 and the core 23 extends through a slot in an inside belt guard wall 25 paralleling but closely spaced with respect to the left side wall 22 as viewed by the operator behind the apparatus (FIG. 6). One end of the core fits into a rubber-lined cup 27 with a stub shaft 28 journaled in a fixed bearing 29 carried by the right side wall 21. The other end of the core fits into a-recess in a projection 30 on a pulley 31 for a belt 32 stretched between that pulley and another pulley on the motor shaft. The projection on the pulley extends through a slot in the belt guard wall and the pulley in turn is journaled on a stub shaft 33 (FIG. 6) projecting inwardly from the other side wall 22 adjacent the belt guard wall, the stub shaft being formed as a projection from a part having flanges 34 fitting into an elongated vertical recess 35 formed on the inside of the side wall. If desired, a suitable filler strip 36 (FIGS. 2 and 4) may be inserted in the slot in the belt guard wall 25 above the core 23 to close such slot and prevent liquid from passing into the belt and pulley space.

The brush 11 is connected to its pulley 31 by a set screw 37 extending through the hollow projection 30 receiving the core 23 with the screw projecting between the wires forming the core. The direction of rotation of the brush is correlated with the direction of twisting of the wires so that the driving force exerted by the set screw on the wires also tends to shift the brush axially away from the bearing 29 on its other end and thereby avoid wear due to axial thrust or bowing of the core. In the present instance, where the brush is driven from the left side of the machine as the operator stands behind the machine and looks toward it, the wires 23 of the core of the brush have a left-hand twist with the brush being driven in a clockwise direction as viewed from the driven end (FIGS. 3 and 7). This will result in the brush tending to be pulled toward the driven end so that the end thrust is taken by the stub shaft which supports the pulley. Suitable recesses are cut in the various walls to permit assembly of the parts in the manner described above.

For simplicity, the transfer member 17 preferably is a roller also of cylindrical shape. While this member will perform its transfer function with a relatively smooth wipable periphery as noted above, its bristles 18 are provided at spaced intervals to help clean the tips of the brush bristles 13 while still permitting the latter to wipe the periphery of the roller. The roller bristles may take various forms. In one form found to be satisfactory, these bristles are monofilament protrusions on the surface of a wipable fabric covering the roller. One such fabric with protrusions is sold under the trademark Velcro by American Velcro, Inc. having ofiices at 681 th Ave. New York, NY. This material provides the desired wipable surface with monofilament protrusions spaced apart to permit the brush bristles 18 to wipe between the protrusions while being engaged by the protrnsions for cleaning of their own tips. The transfer roller is mounted on the right side wall 21 and the belt guard wall 25 by a shaft 38 (FIG. 4) which is journaled in bearings (not shown) in the ends of the roller and which is stationarily received in rubber spacers 39 fitting in recesses opening downwardly from the supporting walls.

To improve the cleaning action of the brush 11, a portion of the weight of the machine is sustained by the brush. The amount of such weight and the bite of the brush bristles 13 are limited as noted above by mounting the roller 17 also for eng g ment with the floor su f e be ng treated; With the monofilament pile covering on the rolher, the monofilament protrusions 18 themselves sustain the weight. The axes of the roller and brush are located on the frame with respect to each other and the floor to obtain a bite of the brush bristles on the floor equal to the radial projection of the monofilament bristles from the roller periphery, the brush bristles having approximately the same bite on the roller periphery as on the floor.

While the collection means 15 may take various forms such as an opening to a suction chamber, it is preferred to use a disposable pad similar to that of my prior patented construction extended along and spaced from the periphery of the brush 11 to receive and retain liquid and other material thrown tangentially by centrifugal force from the brush. In the present instance, this pad is formed of cellulose fiber paper pulp. It is of generally rectangular shape and extends from an upwardly opening gutter 40 on the inner side of the lower edge of the front wall 19 of the housing 12 upwardly and around the peripheries of the brush and the roller 17 and downwardly along the front side of the intermediate wall 24 and into an upwardly opening gutter 41 along the lower edge of the wall. A cover 42 extends over the open top of the housing with depending flanges 43 overlapping upper edges of the side Walls 21 and 22, the belt guard wall 25, and the front and rear walls 19 and 20 of the housing, such cover being formed of a resilient material such as polyethylene and having a snap fit with the upper edges of a front and rear wall. Such snap fit may be achieved in various ways as in this instance by flaring the upper ends of the front and rear housing walls outwardly away from each other and providing a complementary taper on the front and rear flanges of the cover.

To dampen vibrations, while retaining the collector pad 15 positively in place, side edges of the pad are clamped between the cover 42 and upper edges of the right side wall 21 and the inner belt guard wall 25 which support the roller 17. To enable these walls to be closed beneath the cover and still obtain the desired clamping, the walls are formed with recesses as indicated at 44 (FIGS. 1 and 3) to receive intermediate portions of the side edges of the pad projecting beyond the adjacent end portions as indicated in FIG. 7. The side edges of the pad adjacent the end portions are recessed as indicated at 45 (FIG. 7) to receive the lower portions of the right side Wall and the belt guard wall below their recesses. The pad thus covers substantially all of the underside of the space occupied by the roller and the brush and defined by the under side of the cover, the front and intermediate walls 19 and 24, the right side wall 21 and the belt guard wall.

Cooperating with the roller 17 and brush 11 to support the apparatus on the surface being treated is at least one rotary member 47 mounted on the housing 12 to rotate about an axis paralleling the roller and brush axes. In this instance, there are two such members in the form of small wheels mounted at the rear of the housing and having portions projecting beneath the housing. To avoid leaving tracks or marks on the floor even though the apparatus is used with solvent-base waxes, water-base detergents, water-wax emulsions or other compounds, the peripheries of the rollers are composed of silicone rubber. This material has the advantage of being chemically inert with respect to floor treating compounds and does not deteriorate or become sticky with prolonged use. Moreover, the material is resilient and absorbs noise and vibrations that otherwise might be transferred from the apparatus to the floor. Preferably, as in this instance, each wheel is formed with a tire of silicone rubber on a metal hub and is rotatable on a suitable axle on the underside of the housing, the wheels being received in recesses formed in the housing and opening downwardly.

Manipulation of the apparatus over a floor 10 when the operator is in a standing position is effected by means of a handle 48 which, in this instance, is made up of a bail having a pivotal connection with the housing and formed of two parts 49 which are secured together and are secured together and are received in the lower end of an elongated hollow section 50. The handle normally is urged into an upright position by a resilient means, in this instance a coil spring 51, encircling One of the bail parts (FIG. 2) and having its opposite ends respectively extending through a slot in the bail part and secured to the rear wall 47 of the housing. The spring is strong enough to perform an additional function of reducing the portion of the weight of the apparatus sustained by the roller 17 and brush 11 as the handle is swung rearwardly from its upright position. As the roller bears less of the weight of the apparatus, it and the brush are able to spin freely and at a higher speed to achieve a more efiicient cleaning action. The speed of the brush and roller thus may be varied to accommodate different floor conditions by moving the handle forwardly or rearwardly.

In the operation of the machine, a light spray of a liquid detergent or some other liquid such as a combination detergent and waxing composition is applied to the floor being treated as by an aerosol spray or other spray means. Then, with the motor 14 driving the brush 11, the apparatus is moved back and forth across the floor surface. The brush is rotating in a clockwise direction as indicated by an arrow 53 in FIG. 8 and, through engagement of its periphery with that of the transfer roller 17, the latter is rotated in the opposite direction, that is counterclockwise as viewed in this figure. The brush bristles 13, upon striking the floor scrape the same so as to loosen foreign particles on the floor and carry the same along with liquid along the floor toward the roller. As each bristle moves out of contact with the floor, the foreign particles and liquid are thrown ahead and circumferentially away from the periphery of the brush as indicated at 54 in FIG. 8 and onto the adjacent oppositely moving surface of the roller. The material thus transferred to the roller is carried rearwardly and upwardly toward the position where the brush bristles engage the roller periphery. As the bristles engage this periphery, they wipe the roller periphery between the roller bristles 18 to remove the material thereon and throw the same tangentially away from the brush and upwardly toward the collector pad as indicated at 55 in FIG. 8. At the same time, the tips of the brush bristles are engaged and cleaned by the roller bristles.

Some cleaning action also results from engagement of the roller bristles 18 with the floor 10, material picked up by such bristles being transferred on the roller into engagement with the brush bristles 13 in the same manner as other material thrown onto the roller by the brush. A brush speed found to be satisfactory for small machines is on the order of 3,000 to 6,500 revolutions per minute. The material thrown onto the collector pad 15 tends to accumulate along a line extending throughout the lengths of the brush and roller and disposed generally along a tangent to the brush where the brush bristles move out of engagement with the roller. When the material builds up on the pad so that it becomes desirable to remove and replace the pads, this can be done easily by snapping off the lid 42 and simply lifting the pad from the position of extension of its ends into the gutters 40 and 41. A new pad then may be placed in the same position and the cover returned.

It will be apparent that, liquid and foreign material engaged by the brush bristles 13 are thrown therefrom onto the periphery of the roller 17 for transfer therewith upwardly into engagement with the brush bristles which then throw it onto the collector pad 15. Substantially all of the material is transferred to the collector pad due to the wiping action of the brush bristles on the portions of the roller periphery between the roller bristles 18 and due to the further cleaning action of the brush bristles on the roller bristles and of the roller bristles on the brush bristle tips. As a result the parts of the machine surrounding the roller and brush do not accumulate large amounts of dirt even after long periods of use. By virtue of the use of silicone rubber for the wheels 47, practically no marks or foreign matter are trailed by the wheels and this, coupled with substantially complete removal of liquid and foreign material from the floor by the brush and roller, results in a satisfactorily clean and dry surface. When the material applied to the floor includes a wax, the brush and roller effect a polishing action while substantially drying the floor.

While there is shown in the drawings and described in detail in a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is understood that the invention is not intended to be limited by such disclosure. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all alternative constructions and conditions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In surface treating apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, a surface treating element having an endless periphery and mounted on said frame for engagement of said surface by the periphery of the element along a line, said element having bristles on its periphery, a transfer member having an endless periphery and mounted on said frame adjacent said surface and said treating element with its periphery engaging said bristles on the element at a first position spaced from said line of engagement with said surface, a motor mounted on said frame and connected to said element to advance said periphery thereof away from said line of engagement with said surface and toward said transfer member at a speed suflicient that liquid and other material are thrown by centrifugal force from the tips of said bristles and toward said periphery of the transfer member, said periphery of said transfer member moving from a position adjacent said surface to said first position of engagement with said bristles and being wipable whereby material thrown onto the periphery by said element is carried by the member away from the surface and into engagement with said bristles at said first position for removal of the material from the member and element and throwing of the material away from said element, and collection means supported on the side of said element opposite said surface to receive Isaaid material thrown from the element and said mem- 2. The combination of claim 1 in which the peripheral speed of said transfer member differs from the peripheral speed of said element whereby said bristles on the element engage said periphery of the member with a wiping motion for effective cleaning of material from the periphery of the member.

3. In apparatus for treating a generally flat surface, the combination of a supporting frame, a cylindrical surface treating elelment mounted on said frame for rotation about an axis parallel to the surface and for engagement of said surface by the periphery of the element, said element having bristles on its periphery, a cylindrical roller mounted on said frame adjacent said surface to rotate about an axis parallel to said axis of said element and engageable on its periphery with said birstles on the element at a first position spaced from said surface, a motor mounted on said frame and connected to said element to rotate the same and advance its periphery along said surface and toward said roller at a speed sufiicient that liquid and other [material removed from the surfaces by said bristles and are thrown by centrifugal force from the tips of said bristles and toward said roller periphery, said roller rotating in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said element to move the periphery of the roller from a position adjacent said surface to said first position of engagement with said bristles and said roller periphery being wipable whereby material thrown onto the periphery by said element is carried by the roller away from the surface and into engagement with said bristles at said first position for removal of the material from the roller and element and throwing of the material tangentially away from said element, and collection means supported on the side of said element opposite said surface to receive said material thrown tangentially from the element.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which bristles project from said roller periphery to engage the tips of said bristles of said element to clean said element tips during relative rotation of the roller and the element, said roller bristles also being cleaned by their engagement with said element bristles.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which said roller bristles and said element bristles both engage said surface and said roller limits movement of said element toward the surface to determine the amount said bristles of the element are bent upon engagement with the surface.

6. The combination of claim 3 in which said collecting means is a removable pad of resilient material, a removable cover is provided for said frame, and said pad is clamped between said cover and said frame for retention of the pad positively in its proper position and for dampening of vibrations between the cover and the frame.

7. The combination of claim 3 in which the peripheral speed of said roller differs from the peripheral speed of said element whereby said bristles engage said roller periphery with a wiping motion for effective cleaning of material from the roller periphery.

8. The combination of claim 3 in which said roller is freely rotatable on said frame and is rotated through a frictional driving engagement with the periphery of said element.

9. The combination of claim 3 in which said roller and said element both engage said surface and the roller limits movement of the element toward the surface and there-by the amount said bristles are bent upon engagement with the surface.

10. In apparatus for treating a surface having liquid on it, the combination of a supporting frame, a cylindrical surface treating element mounted on said frame to rotate about an axis parallel to a surface to be treated and engageable on its periphery with said surface to remove liquid and other material from the surface, and at least one rotary supporting member rotatably mounted on said frame to rotate about an axis parallel to said element axis and engageable with said surface to support the apparatus on the surface as the apparatus is moved relative to and across the surface, said supporting member having a periphery composed of silicone rubber to avoid accumulation of liquid and foreign matter on the member or tracking of foreign matter on said surface by the member.

11. In apparatus for treating a generally flat upwardly facing surface, the combination of a supporting frame, at least one rotary supporting member rotatably mounted on said frame and engageable with said surface to support a portion of the weight of said apparatus on the surface, a rotary surface treating element mounted on said frame to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of said member and engageable with said surface to remove foreign matter therefrom, said element also supporting a portion of the weight of said apparatus, a handle pivoted on said frame to swing about an axis parallel to said element axis and operable to maneuver said apparatus on said surface, and a resilient connection between said handle and said frame normally urging the handle to an upright position and operable to reduce the portion of the weight of said apparatus on said element when the handle is swung about its pivot and away from the upright position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,464,031 8/ 1923 Daly.

2,267,765 12/1941 Taylor 15360 X 2,651,803 9/ 1953 Browne.

2,677,849 5/1954 Kaufman 15361 X 2,881,465 4/1959 Duff 1536O 3,344,453 10/ 1967 Price.

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 15-361 

